Newell aims for NCAA bid
Pole vaulter among 29 Bobcats competing for berth in nationals.
Texas State’s Anicka Newell keeps things simple as she tries to go higher during her attempt to earn a spot in the NCAA outdoor championships.
The Bobcats’ record-breaking pole vaulter is ranked 11th in this week’s NCAA West Preliminary meet in Austin, coming off a personal best and Sun Belt record vault of 14 feet, 1/2 inch, a mark that broke the conference mark by more than four inches.
She is one of 29 Bobcats who’ll compete this week at Myers Stadium. Twelve competitors from each individual event and 12 teams from each relay will advance to the NCAA outdoor nationals in Eugene, Ore., in June.
Newell has had success at Texas’ Myers Stadium before; at the Longhorn Invitational on May 2, her vault of 13-11 3/4 was a personal best by 6 1/2 inches.
“The best part about going high in pole vault- ing is the big air you get for your fall afterward,” said Newell, a senior from Albuquerque. “I love that fall, especially when the bar is not falling with you.”
She won a Sun Belt outdoor title in 2014 and was second in 2013, and took silver in the 2013 and 2014 indoors.
“I have just let my mind be free about what I’m doing and I’m not beating myself up over the little things that I might have been doing wrong,” Newell said. “I haven’t always liked pole vaulting as much as I do right now. I’m focused on making the most of this final opportunity and I feel really good.”
Allie Saunders qualified this weekend in the long jump and triple jump. Julie Lange also qualified in two events — the shot put and discus. She led the conference during the regular season in both events.
The Bobcats’ Mylana Hearn will join Saunders in the triple jump and Talore Kelly will compete against Lange in the shot put.
For the men, 13 athletes qualified in 12 events, led by pole vaulter Seth Arnold and thrower Darian Brown.
Arnold cleared a height of 18-1/2 to win the Texas Relays. Brown has qualified in two events, sitting 11th in shot put and ninth in discus.
Cody Schulz qualified in the 100 and the long jump. Aaron George will join Schulz in the men’s long jump.
Other Texas State men competing are Anthony Johnson (400), De’Quad Binder (800), James Hilliard (400 hurdles), Alvin Chikaeze (triple jump), Jordan Huckaby (hammer) and the 1,600 relay team.
“We continue to send a large number of athletes to this meet, which is great for our program,” track coach Dana Boone said. “The next step is to make it to the finals.”
Last season, the Bobcats sent two athletes to the NCAAs while qualifying three for the NCAA indoor championships earlier this year.